Book Review

The Selfish Gen
By : Richard Dawkins
224 pages

Synopsis

     This book describes social phenomena as ecosystems and ourselves as individuals & organisms from the point of view of genes in our bodies. From the start, why do people tend to choose to have a family, why do we tend to care more about someone (or other organisms) who has similar genes? Until why this interaction between humans can be as dynamic as other animals. The point is this book explains why and how the human species can survive in the last 200 thousand years managed to pass all challenges and natural selection, and succeeded in forming civilization as complex and advanced as it is today.

     Briefly, selfish genes are concepts that express gene efforts in defending their personal interests to be able to survive as long as possible. This selfish gene behavior can be seen in many cases, even in all cases of interaction between organisms.

      In the book The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins) there are at least six interaction divisions to explain the phenomenon of selfish genes, if I don't misinterpret, namely;

1. Aggression between predators and those suspected. In this book it is explained using an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) approach. In this case, according to me, it is still very 'individual', it has not reached the level of genes, but the implication is the large distribution of genes in the barn of genes.

2. Calculation of the degree of kinship between individuals. In this book use the Hamilton Method. By knowing the degree of kinship between us and other individuals, we will know how 'valuable' the individual is because of the unique genes that he and we have together.

3. Optimizing birth rates. In this book through a process like family planning in a population. Here there are simple calculations to determine the limits that match the number of children each parent. With the increasing number of children, the parent's ability to ensure the child's survival is smaller which also means that the survival of the genes passed on to the child is also reduced. Likewise, if too little will cause more minority genes in the barn gene.

4. Relationship between parent and child in meeting needs. If we understand the second part, then we will know that each parent has an equal relationship with all of his children. With a gene perspective, there should be no 'golden child' in the family. However, there are factors that make sharing equitably difficult to achieve and there is a possibility that children will apply 'dishonest' or 'cheating'.

5. Fighting between genders. Beginning with the description of the nature of maleness and femaleness then proceed with general tactics that may occur between two individuals in exploiting investments in their children. These tactics may be uncomfortable for us humans, but for other species it might happen, for example, from as much as possible to the male population to being loyal in feeding children until a certain period of time. Each tactic has its own advantages and disadvantages that can be explored in terms of the genes of each parent.

6. Symbiosis of two different species. the discussion on this case is given the title of the chapter ‘You scratch my back, I’ll ride on yours’ (or in your translation edition, scratch my back, I scratch your back). This case is here to challenge how selfish genes can explain mutual altruistic behavior among species with a delay in repaying kindness.

     Natural selection does not directly select genes, even if the gene is extracted from its sustainability engine, all genes look the same. What distinguishes genes is the effect produced on the individuals they occupy during the process of embryo development. This effect affects body shape and behavior.

Individual presence is truly the engine of sustainability for genes and is so temporary. How it looks, how it behaves, and its actions are nothing but in an effort to achieve the big goal of genes. I present the closing sentence of this book as a conclusion of selfish genes which I think are arranged quite well.
"But the individual body, so it is familiar to us on our planet, did not have to exist. The only entity that has to be in order for life to emerge, anywhere in the universe, is the immortal replicator. "- Richard Dawkins

Until here we can see the big picture of selfish genes. Negative selfish harmonization needs to be seen with clean glasses, this morality does not always reach the level of the individual whose effects we feel more easily (because this book is not titled Selfish Individuals). In the context of animals, selfish gene images can be easily transformed instinctively, even if they do not calculate genetic profit and loss as in the six cases above.

     Humans have more ability than other species to estimate profits not only in the short term, but also in the long run, we have imagination. Even though our instincts are truly generated by selfish genes, but we humans can oppose it through the culture or values that we create, against the perpetual replicators.